Somebody To Love
by eulalie27
Summary: My Sukka Week contributions. Day Seven- Erased. Bored, Suki makes a disturbing discovery.
1. Shelter

"Shelter" by eulalie27

Disclaimer: i_Avatar the Last Airbender/i _and its characters belongs to Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, not me.

"Okay, okay, I have another one," Sokka said, gesturing excitedly as they walked down the road. "Okay. A Firebender walks into a bar." He paused for dramatic effect. "He said, 'Ouch!'"

"Wow." Suki couldn't help but crack a smile. "That one was okay. Not your best."

"Ever since we defeated the Fire Lord, I haven't been able to be funny!" he exclaimed. "I don't know what's wrong with me!"

"Hmm, where to begin…" she teased. He glared. To show she was joking, she gave him a kiss on the cheek. He continued to glower at her. "Mm, you're so cute when you're angry."

"You're cute when you tell me I'm cute." His bad mood vanished with the start of their banter.

Suki laughed. "I have trouble understanding what you're saying sometimes."

Sokka was about to give a sharp comeback when a loud clap of thunder caused him to jump. As Suki laughed even harder, he tried to tell her, "If you were as paranoid as I am, you would jump at thunder, too!"

"No one's as paranoid as you, sweetie." She wrapped an arm around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Hey, I happen to be strangely proud of that fact."

On the horizon ahead, lightning streaked across the sky. "I guess we should head home. It looks like that storm isn't too far away," Suki decided.

"Well, at least it's not-" Thunder boomed again, echoing through the woods around them. Then it began to rain.

"I can't believe that really happens," he commented.

They ran with their arms over their heads to offer some shelter from the rain. Suki couldn't stop giggling, seeing Sokka's hair falling from his ponytail and sticking to his face. They sprinted until they came to a barn at the edge of the woods.

"Thank Kyoshi for barns in the middle of nowhere," Suki panted. The rain continued to fall.

Sokka poked his head in the doors that were open a foot or so while Suki stood by, shivering in the now pouring rain. "Hello?" he called. After a moment with no answer, he turned to Suki and gestured through the doors. "Ladies first."

She curtsied a little before stepping past him. "Thank you."

The barn was large, and mostly empty. Empty stalls stood at the far end of the barn, near the opposite doors. The perimeter of the room was lined with bales of hay. A few shelves stood to their left to hold a few tools. The silence was eerie.

"Well, this is…" She paused, searching for a word.

"Creepy?" Sokka, ever paranoid, offered.

"It just seems…" She gestured wildly, frustrated with her inability to voice her thoughts. "Nice," she finished lamely. "It just has a feeling of niceness."

Sokka crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "Niceness?"

"Well, I couldn't think of a word!" she defended.

"Fine, you don't have to get all-" he made a face and imitated her gestures- "blaaaaahhhh."

Despite herself, she laughed. "I love how you can do that."

"What?"

"Just make me feel better just by making a funny face or weird noise."

He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her. "I love everything about you." The kiss they shared was short, but sweet.

"I guess we have to stay here until it stops raining," she noted as they listened to the rain pounding on the roof above them, her arms still wrapped around his neck. Thunder crashed outside as if in agreement.

"Hmm. Who knows when that could be. We could be stuck here all night," he pointed out.

"Hours and hours. But I'm not sure that would be so bad, as long as you're here too." She grinned.

"Where do you come up with this stuff? That sounds so cheesy-" He suddenly realized what exactly she meant. "Oh."

It stopped raining minutes later, but neither noticed.


	2. Humiliation

"Humiliation" by eulalie27

Disclaimer: _Avatar: the Last Airbender_ and its characters are the property of Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, who are obviously not me.

The night began calmly enough. It had been a warm day in the middle of summer, and now the evening was breezy and balmy. Katara and Aang had gone down to the river to work on their Waterbending, Toph and Zuko were in the middle of a battle to determine who was a better bender, and Suki was dozing against a rock.

That left Sokka, alone once again. He was used to being the odd man out, he supposed. The only member of the original gang who couldn't bend, the oldest, the only man (Aang didn't count, he decided).

"That's okay," he muttered as he clutched his boomerang tighter. "I don't need anybody else to have fun. It's just you and me, Boomerang."

He tossed the weapon into the air. It flew, curving around the trunk of a tree and returning to his hand in a matter of seconds.

"That's right. We don't need them," he repeated, as if trying to convince himself of the fact. He threw the boomerang again, repeating the action a dozen more times.

"Hey," a voice mumbled sleepily.

He turned his head as the boomerang left his hand. "Hi, Suki. Did you have a nice nap?"

His trusty boomerang came back, smacking hard into the side of his head and falling to the ground.

"Ow!" he cried, pressing both hands to his head. "Geez, Boomerang, what was that for?"

"Hold still," Suki commanded. She pried both of his hands away from the wound. He hissed in pain. "Oh, stop being a baby."

"Is it bleeding?"

"Only a little. I don't think you're going to die," she said as she probed the small gash. "Sorry."

"For what?" he asked, confused, as she led him to her tent.

"I distracted you," she explained as she dug through her bag for bandages.

"Naw. It's okay." He sat on her sleeping mat across from her. "I shouldn't have thrown it once I saw you. We're just lucky it didn't hit you."

"I'd be okay. I have a feeling my head is much harder than yours." She began to clean out the injury. "That was a good throw," she commented as she worked.

"Thanks," he mumbled, embarrassed. "I feel like an idiot. I totally forgot it would come back." He winced as she poked the cut too hard. "I'm so humiliated."

"Mmm, nice word."

"I am! I feel like the dumbest person ever."

"That's a lot of competition." Suki tied the bandage around his head. "There you go."

"Thanks."

"You're not dumb. Not many dummies know the word 'humiliated,'" she added.

"Wow, that makes me feel better. My vocabulary is the only thing keeping my from being an idiot."

She grinned. "See, you're fine. Already back to your sarcasm."

"And you're back to teasing me. Although, I don't think you ever really stopped."

"How could I stop?" She widened her eyes, giving her a look of fake innocence. "I never do that anyway."

"Ha. Ha. Ha." His laugh was unamused, sarcastic.

"You know I'm kidding."

Sokka held up his hands. "Hey, I know. And I might be kidding when I say I know how to use my boomerang," he added, pretending to be threatening.

"Oh, no! Whatever shall I do?" she cried theatrically.

Their laughs could be heard down by the river.


	3. Power

"Power" by eulalie27

Disclaimer: _Avatar: the Last Airbender _and its characters are the property of Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, who are obviously not me.

_I watch. Yep, that's pretty much what I do. I can't bend, like my friends and sister. I can't shoot fire from my brain like Combustion Man. I can't even try to take over the world like the Fire Lord. So what am I good for? _

_I was Plan Guy. Or Navigation Man. Or "Here, watch Appa and Momo while we go kick some bad guy butt" Guy. Other than these and, of course, my brilliant sarcasm and love for meat, what was I bringing to the table? I was useless._

_The Kyoshi Warriors weren't great for my ego, either. They had so much power and grace, using their fans with such skill they needed no other weapons. And they were_ women. _In the end, I knew I would be honored to learn from them. I didn't get a bad deal either- that was when I met Suki._

_So she taught me some of what she knew. I wore the costume, felt the gentle weight of the paint on my face, and I felt strong. Powerful, for once. When we left, it was like it never happened. Only now, I knew what I was missing. I was back to being Sokka, the loser._

_Until I met Master Piandao, that is. He taught me so much, and not just about swordsmanship. He taught me about myself, the real me, not just the screw-up loser. He taught me that I had power, too. He taught me that I was not_

"Hey, Sokka." Suki stuck her head into the dimly lit tent. "Whatcha doin'?"

He tried to subtly cover the paper. "Uh… Nothing."

She gave him a knowing look, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow. "Mm-hmm. I suppose that piece of paper is nothing, too." She was suddenly serious again. "You don't have to hide anything from me. I can keep a secret."

"It's nothing. It's just…" He raked his fingers through his short ponytail and sighed. "It's just, when I get… weird, I like to write stuff down. Like how I'm feeling. Short histories on certain topics. Nothing interesting."

"Oh. What's this one about?"

"Power."

"Hmm. Like our lack thereof?" she asked, trying to be good-humored.

"Pretty much just me." He looked down at the paper before him. "I just feel so useless sometimes."

"Sokka." Suki frowned and moved to stand behind him, wrapping her arms around his neck in a comforting hug. "There's absolutely no reason to think that you're useless." She knelt by his side and looked up at him. "You're a wonderful hunter, you can read a map better than anyone else, you come up with the best plans, and, you're a great boyfriend," she added, wiggling her eyebrows.

The corners of his mouth lifted in a small smile. "Really?"

"Yeah. You always make me happy, and even when I'm being horrible, you never complain. You do so many cute things, too. Remember your sand sculpture?" He nodded, making a small face. "It. Was. _Beautiful_," she continued, emphasizing each word as she brought her hand up to cup his cheek. "I love how you think of things nobody else does. And I love how you're sarcastic, and pessimistic, and paranoid. I love everything about you." Tears welled up in her eyes. "The thought of you kept me alive when I was in prison. So don't _ever_ think that you are useless."

"Thanks." He smiled. "I needed that." He helped her get to her feet, and she hugged him.

"You're welcome." She kissed him on the cheek. "C'mon, it's time to go to sleep."

She walked out of the tent, and Sokka picked up his brush again.

_He taught me that was not helpless, or useless. And now Suki has just reinforced that. So I think I'm okay now._

He crumbled up the paper and threw it in the fire when he went outside.


	4. Duel

"Duel" by eulalie27

Disclaimer: _Avatar: the Last Airbender _and its characters are the property of Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, who are obviously not me.

"I don't understand why you thing this idea is so horrible!" Sokka cried as he stormed through their camp. "I think you're not being open to-"

"Sokka, I tried! Okay? I _tried_ to be open, but you are just so infuriating that you make it nearly _impossible_ to see your point of view!" Suki countered. The gang, who was innocently looking on, winced. This couldn't end well.

"I am not infuriating!"

Aang leaned over to Katara and whispered, "Does he even know what that means?"

"I doubt it," she replied quietly. "But that just makes this funnier."

"And my idea is NOT stupid!" Sokka continued.

"Oh, really?" Suki turned to the gang suddenly, causing them all to jump. "Do you think it's stupid that Sokka wants to build something to dress him in the morning?"

Toph tried unsuccessfully to stifle a laugh.

"See!" Suki whirled back around to stare down her boyfriend. "Even Toph thinks it's stupid!"

Sokka crossed his arms and huffed. "So? Toph thinks everything is stupid."

"Well, she's definitely right this time!"

"You know what? Fine." He threw up his arms. "It's stupid. Are you happy now?" he asked bitterly before stomping away.

"Sokka, wait! Can't we talk about this?" He didn't listen. "Please, don't be this way."

Katara stood up and moved to stand by Suki, resting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I think he just needs some space."

"Probably." The girl wiped the back of her hand across her face, but in the shadows Katara couldn't tell if she was crying.

"In the morning he'll probably be back to his old, goofy self. He'll forget all about it.

"I hope so."

The next morning, Sokka still wasn't speaking to Suki. Every time she tried to talk to him he suddenly had something to do. By that afternoon, she was sick of it.

"Sokka, please talk to me." She finally confronted him as he scrubbed his clothes down at the river near their camp.

He was silent.

"I know you're mad at me. I had no right to be that way. You're ideas aren't stupid."

He spoke at last. "Okay."

She placed her hands on her hips. "Can you please talk to me? I feel so horrible. I'm like, the meanest girlfriend ever."

"Maybe." Sokka didn't even look up at her.

"I'm trying to apologize here, and you're acting like I'm giving a second by second description of the weather!" she yelled, losing her temper.

"Look, can we talk later? I'm busy."

"No." She snatched his clothes and threw them on the ground next to him. "What is the problem? I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry. It hurts me that I made you so angry and upset. I'm sorry I called your idea stupid. I'm sorry I tried to get everybody gang up on you. I'm sorry if I can't be some idiot who can't say what she thinks, okay? That's not me. You _know_ that's not me. I'm very opinionated, and I can't keep it to myself. I was just so frustrated and exhausted. I had no right to blow up at you like that." She sounded near tears.

He stood up. "I'm sorry I haven't talked to you. I know I get some dumb ideas, but it usually takes me a while to realize how stupid they really are. And I know I'm frustrating and obnoxious." Coming from Sokka, this confession was almost as big as defeating the Fire Lord; the Water Tribe boy wasn't one to point out his own faults.

"I'm sorry, Sokka."

"That's okay." They hugged, holding each other for what seemed like hours.

"I thought you were busy," Suki teased.

"I'm not anymore." He gathered his clothing and they walked back to camp together.

"Oh, by the way," he said suddenly, "what does 'infuriating' mean?"


	5. Blitz

"Blitz" by eulalie27

Disclaimer: i_Avatar: the Last Airbender/i _and its characters are the property of Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, who are obviously not me.

b**Blitz: deal with something energetically: to concentrate a lot of effort on something to get it done. **/b

"What are you doing?" Suki asked as Sokka ran around the camp like a pig-chicken with its head cut off.

He continued to race around everyone, grabbing loose items and throwing them into the nearest tent.

"Hey!" Katara yelled as her Waterbending scroll ended up in Aang's tent. Everyone complained as their personal items were mixed up.

"This is important!" Sokka yelled as he went on, frantically cleaning the camp.

"What is so important that you have to go on a "cleaning" spree?" Toph demanded, annoyed.

"You wouldn't get it. It's a Water Tribe thing," he said over his shoulder, tossing his backpack into his tent. "Very weird."

Of course, desperate for more information, the group turned to Katara.

"What?" She held up her hands. "I don't know! Sokka, what day is it?"

"Wednesday. But it's also i_Julukluk_/i," he hissed.

She slapped her forehead. "Oh, I can't believe I forgot!" She looked at the puzzled expressions of her friends. "Get everything inside the tents and I'll explain."

With everything put away, they managed to gather in one of the tents with the least stuff.

"Every three years, the bird spirit of the Water Tribe, called Julukluk, flies over the homes of Water Tribe members to bring good tidings to the people who live there. They bring everything inside their homes and sit together, much like we're sitting now. Each person makes a wish that they want to come true for the next three years. If you make the wish before Julukluk comes, it will come true. If not, it won't."

"Why do you have to bring everything inside?" Suki asked quietly.

"Julukluk brings good luck to all the things inside each house. If you leave it outside, it won't be lucky for three years," Sokka explained.

"This is kind of weird," Zuko muttered.

"Hey, do we make fun of i_your_/i nation's customs? I don't think so."

"Just go back to your tents," Katara directed. "It's almost noon. That's usually when the Julukluk comes."

Aang and Zuko went to their tent and Katara and Toph left for theirs.

That left Sokka and Suki alone.

"So." Suki was pretty quiet. "Thanks for the lesson."

"I just don't want to forget where I come from."

She shook her head. "You don't have to explain yourself to me. I think the whole thing's nice," she admitted with a grin.

"Yeah. So what are you going to wish for?"

"It's a secret." Her smile grew wider.

His eyes widened. "Hmm. Secret wishes, eh? You know, you have to wish them out loud when the time comes."

"I know."

They chatted quietly for a while before they heard the squawks of a giant bird close to their camp.

"Wish time," Sokka announced. "Ladies first."

"Hmm." She shut her eyes, and he thought he had never seen her so beautiful. "I wish… that everybody will be happy now that the war is almost over. Especially us." She took his hand and squeezed it.

"Nice. I wish that I could spend forever with the gorgeous woman I love." He whipped a necklace from the bag at his waist.

The stone was a rich, golden brown. It was engraved with a sun rising above calm ocean waves. Hanging from its green and gold ribbon, Suki had never seen anything so pretty.

"Oh, Sokka…" She was at a loss for words.

"Will you marry me?"

He looked so intense and hopeful in that moment that she wanted to cry. "Of course."

He pulled her into a kiss that turned into a hug. "I love you."

"I love you, too. These Water Tribe customs aren't half bad either."


	6. Delight

"Delight" by eulalie27

Disclaimer: _Avatar: the Last Airbender _and its characters are the property of Michael Dante DiMartino and Brian Konietzko, who are obviously not me.

Despite the simplicity of it, one of Suki's favorite things to do was just watch people. She loved to see how they lived, how they acted with each other.

She loved to watch Sokka. She enjoyed every second she observed him, whether he was hunting, eating, writing, telling stupid jokes, or even sleeping. _Especially_ sleeping, for some reason.

One night she couldn't sleep. It was too hot, so she would throw off her blankets. Then a cool breeze would blow, and she could be too cold and have to cover up again. After three more cycles of this, she left the tent she shared with her boyfriend and went for a walk.

There was another one of her favorite activities- watching the sky. At this hour, stars sparkled brightly across the sky and the moon hung in the air, perfectly full and beautiful. Reflected in the dark waters of the river, it was almost more beautiful than its real twin.

A hawk-owl hooted from the trees above her, and the imitated its call, grinning when it seemed to answer. It made her glad to know, that even at night, the forest was buzzing with life.

Half an hour later, she decided to give sleep another try. As she crept back into the tent, her eyes fell upon Sokka. He lay spread-eagled on top of his sleeping bag. His hair was down, hanging over his handsome face and blowing out with each snore.

"Hmm," she murmured. "I love you."

Suddenly, Sokka sat up. "What?"

She laughed softly. "Sorry if I woke you up."

"'S okay," he mumbled sleepily. "I wasn't sleeping well anyway."

"Well," she began with an evil smile, "we don't have to sleep…"


	7. Erased

"Erased" by eulalie27

Disclaimer: i_Avatar: the Last Airbender_/i and its characters are the property of Michael Dante DiMartino and Brian Konietzko, who are obviously not me.

Note: Written from Suki's point of view.

Today sucked.

The first day in a while when I didn't have to do anything, and I had nothing to do. The irony, and boredom, was killing me.

So I read. And I cleaned. And I rearranged some furniture. And I read some more. And I got bored and practiced with my fans. And I rearranged again. And I ran out of things to do.

So I went down to the beach, where I discovered there was not actually much more to do. I lay around in the sand for almost an hour before the boredom set in again. Then when I was about to leave, I decided to take another look at the sand sculpture Sokka made of me.

It was gone.

Completely disappeared. I saw that from ten feet away. But it wasn't until I got to where it should have been that I realized it had been destroyed by the tide. Erased.

Maybe it was the frustration resulting from having nothing to do. Or the sadness that comes with knowing that the adorable sand sculpture your boyfriend made for you is gone forever. Add those together, plus the fact that I was PMS-ing, and you get tears. Not just little quiet drips going down your 

face. I mean loud, throat-tearing, heart-wrenching sobs. The fact that the figure was gone seemed symbolic somehow, seeming to tease that Sokka and I wouldn't last together.

I don't know how long I sat there in the sand, bawling my eyes out, but after a while, I knew someone was behind me.

"Suki? What's wrong?"

It was Sokka. He came and knelt down next to me. That made me cry harder. "i_That!_/i" I wailed, gesturing vaguely at the empty space next to us.

He frowned, confused. "Suki, there's nothing there."

"i_Exactly!_/i" I continued to weep. "Your sculpture… It's gone!"

"Oh." He pulled me forward into a hug. "I'm sorry."

"It's just," I sniffled, "I really liked it. And the tide came and washed it away. And it feels like it's trying to tell me something, like we should quit while we're ahead or we'll end up destroyed, just like it!"

Sokka pulled away, holding my shoulders at an arm's length from his torso. "Suki. Let me make something very clear. I love you."

"I love you, too."

"See? We're in agreement here. So what makes you think we would break up?"

Oh, I had thoughts. But none of them even began to make sense. "Nothing."

"Why are you so worried then?" The sincerity in his eyes almost made me start sobbing again.

"I guess I shouldn't be."

"No, you shouldn't." He kissed the top of my head and helped me up. "Let's go home."

"Okay." We walked back to our home together, arms linked.

"So, how was your day?"

"Other than that little meltdown, very boring…"


End file.
